China Scene: West

New school rule: Don't get too close, boys and girls

How close is a "close relationship"? A high school in Chengdu, Sichuan province, recently gave a clear definition, ruling that school boys and girls should keep at least 50 cm apart in public, or else the school will punish them.

The school, which said the rule came under a new outline issued by the Ministry of Education for the new semester, added that the "proper communication distance" for students of the opposite sex should be maintained at 80 cm.